See the articles in this series
As much of the world takes a sinister turn on several fronts, not least in the UK with the re-vindication of GDP growth and militarism, DegrowthUK is inviting timely submissions on the topic ‘Prospects for Degrowth’. This will create a series, and to start it, we publish a short piece ‘Prospects for Degrowth’. Contributions could respond to that or focus on other related questions.
The series could include pieces related to topics such as:
DegrowthUK also welcomes submissions on other topics that fall within the scope of the overall theme of prospects for degrowth.
We welcome publications by researchers and activists based in the UK and beyond.
Guidelines
Articles could include case studies, analyses and graphics, and be theory or policy-focused, opinion or creative pieces.
The word count should not exceed 3,500 words excluding footnotes and, citations and bibliography.
Please submit prospective pieces together with a short biography to this email address: degrowthUK@steadystatemanchester.net. We accept PDF, RTF, DOCX, DOC and ODT document formats, and all the main graphics formats. The received submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
To kick off the series, here is a specially written piece by DegrowthUK and Steady State Manchester’s Mark Burton.
There is now a later post about this initiative click to read
The signs of ecological overshoot and climate breakdown are ever clearer to see and we know that economic growth (i.e. endless material expansion) is the prime cause.
credit: Richard Shirres for the design and Ed Hawkins for the stripes
Meanwhile, both main parties stick to the mindless mantra of GDP growth as if that would solve the multiple problems of the country.
This year we are likely to have an election where all the parties (with the partial exception of the Green Party) try to outdo one another with claims about how they will secure economic growth. They will also make claims about how they will address the climate crisis (the other planetary boundaries are likely to be hardly mentioned, if at all). In addition to the highly questionable claim that growth will redress inequalities and poverty, they will argue that it is needed to decarbonise the economy – an oxymoron dressed up as policy.
Our initiative tries to disrupt that depressing consensus and show what the alternative could be. It has the form of a comprehensive policy framework that. we think, is more adequate to the profound challenges that this country, and humanity in general, faces, in contrast to dominant political and economic thinking.
It states clearly what has to be done now to halt the destruction of the ecological systems that sustain us all. We use the concept of the Emergency Brake to capture that idea. We recognise that these proposals are extremely challenging and will have consequences that need to be mitigated. Therefore we include a proposal for an emergency safety net as part of the Emergency Brake actions, and we complement the Brake with a comprehensive Plan for Reconstruction and Renewal. This covers most of the areas that need to be addressed for there to be the kind of society and economy that sustains the population while continuing to minimise the various human footprints on the earth’s systems.
Our initiative is in the context of the upcoming General Election but that is more of a convenient opportunity to try and enter the national debate, than an event that should contain or constrain the scope of the project.
We have yet to produce the final version. We have received encouraging and helpful feedback from a number of people with expertise in areas covered and have incorporated suggestions and corrections. We have further promises of feedback. We are now publishing the draft 2 page summary (click here to download it). You can also request the 78 page main document by emailing us at degrowthuk[AT]gmail.com.
To take this forward, we’d really appreciate your help with the following things.
1) Feedback and suggestions. If you have specific and constructive feedback or suggestions, we’d really appreciate it. We will consider feedback carefully and try to take account of it. Please don’t share the documents without our agreement – we don’t want this unfinished work to enter the wider public domain until we have a final version.
2) Before we can go public, we will also need help to prepare graphically appealing material – so if any of you are, or have good contacts among, graphic designers, communications professionals, cartoonists, animators…. then please do let us know. We will want a small set of materials to capture people’s attention and tempt them to dig deeper into the detailed documentation.
3) We need to plan the public launch of the initiative. We are putting together a listing of friendly public figures, journalists, and so on to approach. We’ll need endorsements, and will be coming back to the network so you can sign up as endorsers, but we also need some well-known names. We need to think about an launch event, live or online (or both) and we’ll need a social media campaign. If you can help with any of those things, please let us know.
4) We’ll need some money. What are your thoughts on this? Are there bodies we might approach? Should we set up a crowdfunder? The group I’m part of, Steady State Manchester, will commit some money but we’ll need more. Is your group up for this? Contact us if you can help.
Mark Burton
for the manifesto working group
Opportunity to apply for a 4-year PhD studentship at the University of Leeds, fully funded by the EU Horizon Europe project “Models, Assessment & Policy for Sustainability” (MAPS)
Topic: Examining the role of inequality reduction for making welfare states more growth-independent
Supervisors: Professor Milena Büchs, Dr Richard Bärnthaler
We are seeking to recruit an outstanding PhD candidate (UK home fees status only) to conduct research on the role of inequality reduction in making welfare states more growth-independent. The project will examine relationships between inequality, social issues and social expenditure, as well as the role of progressive income and wealth taxation for redistribution and state revenues in a postgrowth context.
This project is part of a larger work package on “Safeguarding Social Outcomes” in a postgrowth context within the Horizon Europe funded project “Models, Assessment & Policy for Sustainability” (MAPS).
Applicants will have at least a merit from a Master’s degree in a relevant discipline, social science methods training, and experience with quantitative data analysis. Experience with narrative systematic reviews is also desirable. The funding conditions are limited to applicants who fulfil UK home fees eligibility.
Application deadline: 29 January 2024
Interviews: week commencing 12 February 2024
Start date: 1 June 2024
How to apply: please submit your CV, transcripts from previous degrees, and a motivation statement (max 1,000 words) to Milena Büchs on m.m.buchs[AT]leesds.ac.uk by 29 January 2024, 9am CET.
Stipend: UKRI standard living allowance (£18,622 in 2023/24); UK fees and cost for fieldwork travel and conferences will be covered by the project budget. For queries and more information please email Milena Büchs on m.m.buchs[AT]leeds.ac.uk.
Prof. Milena Büchs
Professor of Sustainable Welfare
Director of Postgraduate Research Studies, School of Earth and Environment
School of Earth and Environment
University of Leeds, UK
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